Water sports enthusiasts always have wet equipment to deal with upon finishing their chosen activities. This wet equipment becomes problematic to handle and transfer in its wet state. It would be preferable following such an activity for the participant to have immediate access to adequate, safe, protected space to rinse and hang-dry the wet equipment, but this is rarely available due to the outdoor locations at which these activities take place.
In today's fast-paced society, people often transit directly from one activity, event, workplace, or social gathering to another. For example, in Southern California's surfing culture, it is commonplace for a surfer to go directly from the surf to work or to other activities. This allows no time to properly care for their wet equipment. Commonly, wet equipment is stored or transported in waterproof bags or tubs to prevent them from saturating items around them, such as the interiors of the vehicles in which they are transported. This storage method allows no drying to occur. When left in these storage containers repeatedly and over long periods of time, the sports equipment tends to develop mildew and rot. It would be optimal to dry wet articles sufficiently to protect, maintain, and ready them for their next use. Despite some prior attempts in the industry to create solutions for this problem, storage in plastic bins or water proof bags remains a very common practice.
Water sports continue to experience massive growth, including but not limited to, fishing, sailing, boating, jet skiing, canoeing, kayaking, surfing, windsurfing, kite surfing, diving, spearfishing, paddle boarding, stand-up paddle boarding, or just enjoying the beach or a pool. The technology and equipment used in these activities has also grown and evolved, becoming increasingly sophisticated and expensive over time. The popularity of these activities produce a myriad of wet equipment, which becomes problematic to transport and store properly after use.
In addition, there are a wide array of other physical activities that lead to wet or damp equipment, including but not limited to hot yoga, Pilates, cardio fitness, hiking, hunting, mixed martial arts, running, training, or any other sweat-inducing activity, or even just being outdoors on a rainy day. All of this wet equipment must be dried and stored to be properly maintained.
The modern wetsuit, in particular, consists of specialized and expensive neoprene, designed to stretch and conform perfectly to the human body and is used commonly throughout many of these water sports. Wetsuits have been made considerably more comfortable and effective in recent years but require more specialized attention and care with these new materials. It is commonly known among wetsuit users never to hang a wetsuit by the shoulders to dry, as the additional weight added by water will quickly stretch out the material and deteriorate the wetsuit in that crucial shoulder area. The proper way to hang a wet suit is by the waistline over a hanger of sufficient thickness (or diameter) to ensure that no creases are made in the delicate material. If the wetsuit is stowed improperly, the resulting creases cause the material to deteriorate, thus decreasing the wetsuit's ability to retain heat at its full potential.